The preterite of reñir is used to express a specific instance of scolding in the past, for example La madre riñó a sus hijos por su comportamiento (The mother scolded her children for their behavior). This tense emphasizes the completed action of scolding at a particular moment.

This verb follows the e to i stem-changing pattern in the preterite, but only in the third person singular and plural forms. The stem change occurs when the stress falls on these forms, creating a distinct conjugation pattern.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Reñir (to scold) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of reñir expresses a completed action of scolding or quarreling in the past.

To scold/tell off: Describes reprimanding someone, for example La maestra riñó a los estudiantes (The teacher scolded the students) or Me riñó por llegar tarde (He/she scolded me for being late).

To quarrel/argue: Used for having an argument, for example Riñeron por una tontería (They quarreled over something silly).

Examples

Examples of Reñir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Reñí a mi hermano por su comportamiento. (I scolded my brother for his behavior.)

Reñiste a los niños por el desorden. (You scolded the children for the mess.)

La maestra riñó al estudiante por llegar tarde. (The teacher scolded the student for being late.)

Reñimos a los perros por ladrar. (We scolded the dogs for barking.)

Los padres riñeron a sus hijos por mentir. (The parents scolded their children for lying.)

Reñí al gato por arañar los muebles. (I scolded the cat for scratching the furniture.)

Reñiste al empleado por su error. (You scolded the employee for their mistake.)

El jefe riñó al equipo por su bajo rendimiento. (The boss scolded the team for their poor performance.)

Reñimos a los jugadores por perder el partido. (We scolded the players for losing the game.)

Las maestras riñeron a la clase por el ruido. (The teachers scolded the class for the noise.)

Reñí al conductor por exceso de velocidad. (I scolded the driver for speeding.)

Reñiste al grupo por su mala conducta. (You scolded the group for their bad behavior.)

El entrenador riñó al equipo por faltar al entrenamiento. (The coach scolded the team for missing practice.)

Reñimos a los visitantes por no seguir las reglas. (We scolded the visitors for not following the rules.)

Los guardias riñeron a los turistas por tomar fotos prohibidas. (The guards scolded the tourists for taking forbidden photos.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Reñir (to scold) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.